Display and delivery cabinet



March 29, 1938. w, w LAX 2,112,498

DISPLAY AND DELIVERY CABINET Filed Dec. 30, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet lIIEIIII "T W IIIIIIIII W 3'7 j:::;2:ft:: ,l 140 125 8 2 I 53 9 2.9 o I:I if; i a

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DISPLAY AND DELIVERY CABINET Filed Dec. 50, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 14/ WLA X. awn m? Patented 29, 1938 PATENT OFFICE 2,112,498 DISPLAY DELIVERYCABINET William Wilson Lax, Lougliborough, England Application December30, 1935, Serial Natam In Great Britain March 5, 1925 g 1 (Jlaim.

This invention is for a display and delivery cabinet, particularly forbottles and other articles (e. g. packeted foods or containers), such asis suitable for shop counters and the like.

According to a feature of this invention the cabinet is of box-likenature and has partitions (a term which is employed herein to includeboth horizontal partitions, such as shelves, and vertical partitions,such as dividing walls) therein dividing it into a plurality ofmagazines each with an open mouth, and means connecting said partitionstogether permitting of their location in any selected one of a pluralityof relative positions to vary the size, shape or number of themagazines.

In order that the invention may be better understood, reference will nowbe made to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a frontelevation of a cabinet, illustrating the manner in which the size andnumber of the compartments is adjustable by adding walls and partitions.

Figure 2 is a broken perspective view of a cabinet illustrating itsconstruction, while Figure 3 is a perspective ,view of an adjustableshelf, and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of an adjustable partition that may beemployed in the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

In the construction illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the cabinet is ofbox-like nature, and is subdivided by vertical and horizontal partitionsinto magazines of any predetermined number and size. In particular thereare vertical side walls 25 and horizontal top and bottom walls 26 and21. The space thus enclosed between said walls and the vertical rearwall is divided by means of horizontal partitions or shelves 28 andvertical partitions 29 into a plurality of magazines I2. The shelves 28and the top and bottom walls 25 and 21 are removably and adjustablyfitted in relation to the side walls 25 by the detachable and selectedengagement of parts of said shelves and top and bottom walls with slots,recesses, or perforations, provided at intervals in the vertical facesof the side walls. Not only may the size of the cabinet and the numberand size of the magazines therein be adjusted by the selectiveinterconnection of the parts mentioned, but other magazines may be builtonto it. To illustrate this, additional side walls I25 are shown,connected to the side walls 25 by horizontal shelves I28. The saidadditional side walls I25, may be interchangeable with the walls 25-(which latter may thus be regarded as vertical interior partitions) orthey may be of different height and/0r width. Moreover, the walls 25 andI25 may be constituted by sections fitted edge to edge and held in thatrelationship by suitable means such as the cover plates 31 hereinaftermentioned; in Figure 2 joints between the wall sections are indicated byway of example at 39,

In the construction illustrated, the side walls 25 and I25 (or majorpartitions) are provided, desirably both at their inner and outer faces,with parallel dove-tailed grooves 30 which extend horizontally fromfront to rear, and the side edges of the shelves 28 and I28 and the topand bottom walls 25 and 21 are of dove-tail within the. said grooves.Therefore the said top and bottom walls and the shelves maybe slid intoposition at varying heights on the side walls 25 and I25. Each shelf 28and the top and bottom walls 26 and 21 also are advantageously providedalong their length i. e. from one side wall to the other, with a seriesof parallel tooth-like projections 32 both on the upper and theunderside thereof, thereby providing a series of parallel slots orgrooves 33 within which the vertical partitions 29 may be adjustably andremovably fitted. As will be noticed, the top edge of a partition 29fits slidably within one of the slots or grooves 33 in the underside ofone shelf 28 or of the top wall 25, while the bottom edge of saidpartition 29 is similarly accommodated within one of the slots orgrooves in the upper side of a lower shelf 28 or of the bottom wall 21of the cabinet.

The back plate I8 is attached either by screwing it to the back of theupstanding walls or by sliding it into vertical grooves at the rear ofthe said walls. Similarly other plates 31, are provided to cover theouter faces of the side walls, top wall etc., and when these plates areattached by screws or the dovetails they hold the various sections ofthe walls in position. A cabinet is thereby provided having a pluralityof magazines I2 or compartments open at the front for the display ofarticles contained in the said compartments; and by virtue of the factthat the shelves 28 and the partitions 29 are removably and adjustablyfitted, the number,capacity and shape of the magazines can be varied asrequired to suit the type of article to be accom-.

modated and displayed. In Figure 3 the shelf consists of two parts 28aand 28b provided with mutually intermeshing fingers 40, the fingers onthe one part being slidable in and out between the fingers on the otherpart soas to contract and expand the shelf. 'Ihe side edges 406 of thefingers 4| may be tongued and grooved as shown or they may be of anysuitable shape to permit of slidable engagement. This shelf is adaptedto be slid into grooves in side walls or other vertical partitions, andfor this purpose the side edges ii of the shelf may be of dovetail shapeas shown and it may have its upper and lower surfaces grooved, toaccommodate vertical partitions. The extensible partition shown inFigure 4 comprises a male part 29a slidable between guides 4| on afemale part no and having a keyed engagement therewith, the edges of themale part being received in grooves in the inner edges of the guides 4i.Thus by drawing out the part 200 the length of the partition from backto front may be increased, and its effective height may be varied bymeans of slides 42 movable in recesses 43 formed in or through thepartitioi.

The said partition is provided top and bottom with tongues 4i to fit inthe grooves 33 in the shelves. Means such as clamping screws or pegs[indicated at 48) may be provided for securing the slides 42 inthedesired extended position,

In order that the articles shall not be forced straight out from thefront of the cabinet a stop bar or strip is fixed detachably orotherwise over the front edge or face of each shelf, as is indicated at34 in Figure 2. This bar, therefore, may hide from view the slots "inthe shelf and may also project up-to a sufiicient height from the shelfto hold the articles in position. The stop bars may be secured at eachend by screws screwed into tapped holes 35 formed at intervals in thefront edge or face of each side wall 25. Alternatively the stop bars maybe detachably dropped or fitted in position by pin and slot connectionsor by forming grooves in the side walls into which parts or elements onthe stop bars canbe fitted. Desirably shielding strips I are providedfor attachment to the front edges of the side walls (eg. between thestop bars) to conceal the ends of the slots.

Where the cabinet is to be employed for comparatively heavy goods orarticles the shelves may be fitted with rollers or balls on which saidarticles may run so as to assist in conveying same to the front of thecompartments.

'lhe cabinet may be fitted on an ornamental or other base or pedestal.and a plain or ornamental cover can also he detachably or otherwisefixed at the top.

By providing upstanding walls, grooved or slotted on both verticalfaces. it will be appreciatedthat the cabinet can be readily built up orextended.

'Ihe front face of the cabinet may be vertical vor same may he obliqueor inclined rearwardly from bottom to top so that a portion of theforemost article displayed in each magazine may project forwardly beyondthe front of the cabinet for facilitating its removal by hand. Where thecabinet is provided with an inclined or oblique front, shelves ofdifferent depth, 1. e. different dimensions from front to rear, will beprovided according to the position at which said shelves are located inthe cabinet. 1

AsisindicatedinFlgure2,insteadofthe whole front of the compartment beingarranged in one oblique plane, it may be arranged in several obliqueplanes to provide a more ornamentaleii'ect. Inthisfigureitwillbeseenthatnotonlydothemagaxlnesdiiferintheirvertical dimension, but also that apluralityof magazines have display openings in each oblique plane." I

In some'cases, particularly where a more elaborate cabinet is required,means may-be provided for automatically counting the articles con-.tained in each compartmentso that the number of articles in eachcompartment can beimmediately ascertained. This may be accomplished byproviding a member moving in unison with the spring-pressed plunger orthe like ofeach compartment and operating by rack and pinion orequivalent device an indicator at the front of the cabinet so as tobring a different number into I view each time an article is removed.

. tally, I herein term shelves; while those elements that are disposedvertically I term partitions. These terms are used for easy designationrather than for description either of construction or location of parts,it being recognized that all the interior compartment-forming elementsare partitions.

It will be seen by reference to Figures 2, 3, 6 and 8, that the frontedges 55 of the partitions which are employed in the formation of suchcompartments as are located back of inclined portions of the face of thecabinet are correspondingly inclined with such cabinet face so that whensaid partitions are adjusted to suit the depth of the cabinet the saidinclined edges 55 of the partitions may be brought into the planes ofthe in-' clined parts of the front of the cabinet, thus insuring thatthe open ends of the compartments shall properly expose the articles topermit their easy removal as has been pointed out. Those faces of theextensible shelves and partitions, such as represented in Figures 8, 7and 8, which when properly set into the cabinet constitute the walls ofthe article-compartments are each in a common plane throughout with theresult that there are no obstructing projections in the compartmentswith which the articles might engage as they are being placed in orremoved from the cabinet, and to designate this feature I refer to thefaces of said extensible shelves and partitions as being smooth.

I claim:

A cabinet of box-like form, the front face .of which is open and whichvaries in depth from front to back at difierent distances from the base,extensible partitions for sub-dividing the cabinet into compartments ofvarying depth from front to back, which partitions are provided withmovable slides whereby the effective height of the said partitions maybe varied, and means for locating and supporting the partitions to varythe dimensions of the compartments, the extensibility of the partitionspermitting them to be adjusted to effect depth from front to back inaccordance with the depth of the cabinet in the places where thepartitions are respectively located and with the front edges of saidpartitions flush with the open front of the cabinet.

WILLIAM WILSON LAX.

